Thanks for having a great forum!

Pointy_end_up

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I just wanted to introduce myself and thank everyone. I've gotten back into rocketry after my 2 year old daughter got excited about it following a trip to Huntsville. We've been having a great time building rockets ever since. I've been learning a lot from reading this forum, the NAR website, the apogee technical notes, Accur8, and Chris Michielssen's blog. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that posted questions and thanks to those that answered them because I was having the similar questions. I've been applying that knowledge gained to building some rockets and have been introduced to others through Southern Area Rocketry (SOAR).

Redstone capsule 1.jpg Redstone capsule 2.jpg
I appreciate Chris Michielssen's blog for the detailed build of the Estes Redstone. He pointed out the capsule wasn't correct and suggested changing the window. I decided to expand on his ideas and scratch-built a window. I then added covers of the clamps between the capsule and the booster, added more definition to the thrusters, and then dry brushed everything to add depth and bring out the highlights.

Redstone on pad.jpg Redstone tail section.jpg Redstone detail 1.jpg
Used an Accur8 wrap and that really brought out a lot more details. The rocket didn't have the best first flight (engine ejected instead of the parachute) but subsequent flights have gone well.

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My daughter said she wanted a blue crayon but when we got home, that changed to purple. So purple it is. I added a paper wrap with correctly scaled logos to make it look more like a crayon. She also said she wanted a pink Hello Kitty rocket. After seeing Der Pink Max on Chris Michielssen's blog, we built that too using decals from Stickershock23.

20161025_221421.jpg
We then built a Quest Courier so her “babies” AKA my old Star Wars figures could fly rockets. She picked orange for the paint job and I added in windows so Chewbacca could see where he was flying. I also modified the rocket for 24mm motors. Something I would not have felt comfortable doing without reading over how others have done it on this forum. So thanks again for posting and allowing the rest of us to learn from those posts.

So thanks to everyone that has been posting here, offering encouragement and insight. We're now filling the house with rockets and having a great time doing it.

[video=youtube;X_xktp71IKk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_xktp71IKk[/video]
 

dixontj93060

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Wow! Some extremely nice builds! Welcome to TRF!!!

And your daughter--so sweet! Thanks for sharing!
 
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K'Tesh

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Welcome to you and your family!

Thanks for the pics and videos!

All The Best!
 

TangoJuliet

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You may be new to rocketry, but by the looks of things, not new to modeling. :wink: Welcome! Where are you located?
 

samb

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Welcome ! Some great builds and an outstanding launch crew. Flying with kids is the best "fountain of youth" that I can think of. :)
 

Pointy_end_up

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Thanks for the welcome. We live in Atlanta. And yes, I have a little experience building other things. However, rockets are a ton of fun to build and watching something you built fly is pretty neat. Especially when you have an army of kids running around to chase them.
 

lcorinth

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Welcome! This is awesome. We had a 3-year-old launching her first rockets at a recent launch. It was pretty great how into it she was. She and her (I think) grandfather carried her "Princess Crossfire" to the pad, and she said "I better carry it, because it might be a little heavy for you." Everyone applauded every one of her flights. It was a real highlight for the day.

Great to see kids getting into a hobby like this at an early age. Good job, Dad!
 
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